Massive jam maroons thousands of Russian drivers

Dec. 3 - Heavy snowstorms have trapped thousands of cars and trucks along a highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. Jessica Gray reports.

▲ Hide Transcript

▶ View Transcript

Russian helicopters fly over thousands of cars and trucks stuck in a massive traffic jam caused by heavy snow northwest of Moscow.
Some of the trucks have been there for three days, prompting officials to visit the region and start organising aid for the drivers.
Although there is some food being handed out, drivers worried about running out of gas needed to keep them from freezing in the wintry weather.
Russian emergency minister Vladimir Puchkov said conditions are likely to worsen, which means the stuck drivers will need more supplies in the coming days.
The trucks are lined up along a highway connecting the capital and St. Petersburg, Russia's second biggest city.
Russian authorities have been accused of reacting slowly to major disasters, with tensions high after President Vladimir Putin dismissed two ministers in November.

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: